Harry thomas george wybrow



(No Model.)

H. T. G. WYBROW. FIRE ESCAPE BALGONY.

Nb. 552,222; Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

AN DREW BERMMM. PHOYO'IJTHO.WASHINGM. VYC

' act description.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY THOMAS GEORGE WVYBROl/V, OF BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND.

FIRE-ESCAPE BALCONY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,222, dated December 31, 1895.

Application filed February 21, 1895. Serial No. 539,434. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LEARRY THOMAS GEORGE I XVYBROW, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the county of WVarwick and Kingdom of England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escape Balconies, of which the following is a full, clear, and ex- My invention relates to that kind of fireescape balcony in which a ladder or staircase forming part of or independent of the balcony can be liberated and be lowered down either to the ground or to some other point, thereby providing a means of escape. The staircases of such balconies generally have their treads pivoted, so that when the staircase is drawn up and not in use the treads will be in a horizontal plane forming the bottom of the balcony or otherwise, while when the staircase is lowered the treads can turn on pivots and will come into the proper position for use. Now my improvements are in the means employed for operating such kind of pivoted treads. Hitherto it has been customary to operate the pivoted treads by either making the stringer-bar in two parts or else by employing an additional bar, the extra stringerbar or the additional bar being used to work the treads, which are pivoted to the main stringer-bar, out of their horizontal plane into the proper position for use. By my improvements I avoid the necessity for any extra stringer-bar or for an additional bar, and I make the hand-rail of the staircase answer instead, so that in my staircase no special parts will be necessary; but it will consist simply. of stringers, treads, banisters, and hand-rails, which parts are to be found in all staircases.

Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings, Figure 1 is an illustration showing the kind of balcony to which my invention relates, while Figs. 2 and 3 show the exact construction of my staircase. Fig. 2 is a side view of a portion of my improved staircase, the cover or guard of Fig. 3, hereinafter described, being removed for illustrative purposes; and Fig. 3 is a section of a tread, parts being broken out for the convenience of the drawing, showing a banister fixed to it and also the construction of the hand-rail.

Fig. 1 will show clearly the kind of balcony fixed or hinged at points a to these two portions of the staircase will always work parallel, which is a very essential condition for the good working of the parts.

Referring now to Figs. 2 and 3, b and c are the hand-rail and the stringer respectively of the staircase, d are the banisters and e are the treads, the latter being capable of turning, by means of their pivots f, in holes g, which occur at regular distances in the stringer c. The treads, it will be understood, require to turn as the staircase is lowered to come into proper position, (seen in Fig. 1,) so that they will be approximately horizontal when the staircase is lowered, notwithstanding the stringers will then'lie slantingly. The handrail b is provided at regular distances corresponding to the holes 9 with a series of slots. h are the slots. They are shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2. The lower ends, at 'b', of the banisters d are fixed rigidly and securely to the treads e, while their upper ends, at j, pass through the slots h and may be fitted with nuts or washers k, the object of the latter being so that the heads of the banisters 01 shall not by chance slip out of the slots h. Z is a cover or guard. (Shown in cross-section in Fig. '3, but not shown in Fig. 2, for illustrative purposes.) This cover or guard runs the entire length of the hand-rail, covers up the heads of the banisters,with their nuts or washers, and gives a finish to the rail.

The Way in which my staircase works will be readily understood. WVhen the staircase is being lowered the sides of the slots it will come in contact with the heads or upper ends j of the banisters d, and will cause the banisters to move forward slightly. The banisters, as has been mentioned, being rigidly and securely fixed to the treads 6, will as they move work the treads e so that these treads,

when the staircase is lowered, will have come out of line With the stringers and Will be in a horizontal position ready for use. As the treads when the staircase is in use will have the tendency to turn on their pivots and Would consequently, owing to their unlimited oscillations, be unsafe for use, it Will be noticed that I, by my inventioinalso control or restrain the unlimited movement of the treads. This is also effected by the slots h, as the heads of the banisters cannot move beyond the sides of the slots h, and in turn the treads 0 cannot inove more than a corresponding distance, and the movement of the treads 6 out of the horizontal "will be very small, oWin g to the distance that the center of the treads e is removed irom the sides of the slots h.

It may be remarked that each side of thewould also have a back as well as a front for the attachment of the stringers and hand-rails on both sides.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The means for effecting and limiting the movement of the treads of a staircase of the kind hereinbefore specified, consisting of the banisters of the staircase taking into slots 71' in the handrail b as described.

2. In an escape staircase for use-in connection With balconies, the combination With banisters cl having nuts or Washers 71) and rigidly and securely attached to the treads, of a slotted handrail, for the purposes specified.

HARRY THOMAS GEORGE WYRROW.

\Vitnesses:

J OHN HAYES, A. F. BIDDLE. 

